Life is full of many crossroads, changes of scenery, and the need for thoughtful navigation. The lower self, or part of us that identifies most with the outer world and with being an individual human, is often in a quandary about whether to assert independence or maintain group allegiance and uphold the status quo. At times, it can be difficult to discern what is truly what someone feels and believes as their own Truth or whether the viewpoint and beliefs have been taken in or influenced by an outside source. At other times, one’s Truth is known but the thought of expressing it is intimidating. The journey of moving into adulthood inherently requires the young adult to examine the beliefs, behaviors and attitudes of his or her parents. These are evaluated to determine if they feel congruent and are something the emerging adult identifies with and continues to accept or rejects. As we evolve over time, more of these internalized beliefs and behaviors come to the surface for consideration. Some aspects of self are obvious and can easily be attributed to an early influence in life. Others are more hidden, subtle and require a finely focused eye to notice. A family unit represents a group consciousness with inherent patterns, beliefs, alliances and loyalties, some of these spanning many lifetimes. As we move through life, we become members of other groups, such as sports, activities, academic, friendship, and spiritual groups. Within each of these experiences, we are offered the opportunity to express and make known varied parts of ourselves. We can play with who we are as we explore aspects of our identities. We can also lose parts of ourselves if we give up or deny what is truly important to us in order to honor or abide by the wishes or beliefs of others. There is often a balance to be maintained between honoring the needs and integrity of the self while participating in the energy and relationship of the group. The tendency for some is to want to fall in line, be accepted, be part of the whole, and feel a sense of import and belonging through the group affiliation. For others, the urge is to avoid any group alignment and go it alone. These are two ends of the dependence/individuation spectrum. Learning to have a self and honor one’s own Truth while maintaining connection and unity as part of a group is a multifaceted journey that evolves over time. As the True self emerges and yearns for expression, the need to belong shrinks in comparison from when the journey initially began. The desire to uphold one’s own Truth outweighs the need to be silent, placating, or to have a desire to defer to others. The process of personal evolution moves through phases of dependence, independence, to eventually discovering interdependence. In so many ways in life, there can be perceived, believed, understood, or overt pressures to conform, to fit in. As we are all unique beings with complex circumstances that have brought us to be who we are today, the likelihood that we feel, think, believe, and desire to behave in exactly the same way as a host of others, is unlikely. In order to express the uniqueness of our energy, our Truth and our perspective, we must express our individuality in a way that honors our personal power, holds the energy of our belief system, and allows for individual change. Becoming less dependent and more autonomous requires courage, and often involves spending time and space in a state of independence along the way. Interdependence involves honoring one’s strength, uniqueness and viewpoint while simultaneously allowing others to have this same experience. No one loses. All have the potential to benefit. All are honored. While navigating a situation in my life that involved changing group dynamics and shifting beliefs and behaviors on behalf of some of the group members, my Soul’s guidance to me was, “Wear your own suit.” As I received this guidance, I could distinctly feel the energy of owning my own presence, my own Truth, while being open and present in the group. The inherent message was to hold onto my personal power and beliefs while still maintaining connection. I understood that it was important for me to honor how I felt and what I believed and to express this as Guided. As a seamstress of many years, my Soul’s guidance was particularly clever in that I understood what the gift and beauty of wearing one’s own suit truly meant. It is a suit meant for no one else, only me. It fits me like a glove and makes me feel good. It is the True Me: empowered, secure, comfortable, and known. It is second to none for I, and only I, can wear my own suit. It was tailored for me, by the loving hands of the Creator. Honoring one’s Truth means there will be times when a person stands out from the crowd, steps aside, or helps shape the energy of an organization or group in another way. Individual expression that honors the Soul of the self while respecting others is the fabric from which a healthy world emerges. Whether it be made of finely spun silk, merino wool, or cashmere, we each have our own suit; our own True Identity. I invite you to wear yours. As Billy Crystal would say, “You look maaahvelous, absolutely mahvelous!”

Welcome Beloveds. We are so pleased you are here to share with Us today. We love and honor You on this day, and every day of your lifelong journeys on Earth. Our topic for discussion today is the concept of sustainability. We all need to sustain ourselves from the inside out with the love and frequencies of the God/Goddess or Creator energies. Sustainability means that we support ourselves for the long-term, the long-haul, not just the short-term or near future. You r goal in life is to expand and grow into the Truth of who you are. This goal underlies everything you do in life, all of your stages of development, all of your “Missions” you embrace and embody. As a young child, you gradually developed and grew into the adult physical form and completed that stage of evolution. On an emotional level, you all continue to grow and develop until the time you leave earth. The same is true on your mental and spiritual levels. By “growing”, We mean that you continue to expand into being more love and more light on the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels of your being. This happens as a beautiful, intricate dance where opportunities present themselves in your outer world to provoke contemplation, reflection and different choices in action.

You sustain yourself when you choose love, the highest frequency of all. It supports you on all levels of you being. Expansion from within nourishes your cells and bodies, and keeps you alive. The love force is the single strongest force there is and, as such, is the most sustaining. Nourishing yourself with the energies of the Creator/God/Goddess sustains you in times of trouble, in times of need, in times of despair. It is the elixir that keeps you going, a fuel, so to speak. By connecting with the Absolute Truth of who you are, you reveal the beauty within, the everlasting light, that sustains you through sojourn after sojourn on this planet and others.

We challenge you to go into your Hearts on a thrice daily basis (3 times) to sustain and support yourself. As the energies on Earth move more quickly and more comes to the surface to be healed and released, we invite you to take action to sustain yourself. Sustain yourself in maintaining your centeredness, your connection with your Heart space, through which all Love and Light combined emerge and support you and your Brothers and Sisters on this planet. Sharing your love with yourself ultimately means sharing it with others, for you are all One. What sustains One, sustains All. You are the Love and the Light that emanates from the Creator and your own Higher Self/Soul. To know this Love, you must fill with it daily. It is then not a foreign object, but a part of you. As you welcome this Love into yourself, you become more and more of it through all of your being. It permeates all that you are, and it sustains you when you are not even thinking about it. It becomes your Truth. You become your Truth.

We fill you with Love in this moment and ask you to share it with others. With the Highest Regard for all that You are, Namaste, Beloveds. Namaste. Your Loving Sister, Mary

Several times this winter, many of us have been snowed in (or “iced” in, as the case may be). Though we often dislike the turmoil and physical discomfort that comes with shoveling and power outages, there is something exciting about experiencing a snow storm and seeing the pristine white powder transform our world into something new. The silver lining of impassable roads and canceled plans is that we get to experience change, and are offered an opportunity to embody the energies of letting go. We are able to build up our muscles of allowing and detaching, and surrendering to what is, rather than becoming upset about what isn’t. As the energies on the planet and within ourselves continue to quicken, we will all fare best if we can learn to master the art of coping with change and rising above the undercurrent. Mastery includes being flexible, making intuitively guided decisions, detaching from expectations, and learning to go with the flow. If we remember to look for the silver lining in all that we experience, a brighter, more meaningful world will be revealed. The approaching storm due later this week offers another opportunity for inner growth and change. Here’s to us all making the best of what Mother Nature brings us!

I experienced an unexpected moment of alchemy recently, while receiving a network chiropractic session with my chiropractor, Peter Redmond, DC. Network chiropractic allows for energetic clearing throughout the nervous system as the spine is aligned and healed. I have experienced deep emotional clearing during some of these sessions, including issues from this and other lifetimes, that were stuck in the cells of my body, unbeknownst to me until their emergence during sessions.

Upon having my neck adjusted during the recent session, I became aware of emotion welling up inside me. I then began to experience pain in my upper left shoulder blade area. I had the remembrance of previously felt physical pain in this spot when clearing deeply held emotional pain related to my female being-ness. As I tuned into the sensations, I heard from my Soul that I was specifically releasing feelings of “persecution as a female healer”. I was reminded by my Soul that I have been killed numerous times for being a healer and I was a woman during many of these experiences. Another layer of the onion related to persecution was being cleared. I felt intense grief come from deep inside me. After this released, I had awareness that my inner Female Healer felt very tired and weary. I experienced this weariness through all of my being as the energy moved out through my bodies. A few minutes later, I then had awareness of my inner Female Warrior coming to the fore. I have worked on helping her heal in the past but haven’t connected to her in quite some time. I then heard from my Soul that these two archetypes were beginning to merge. Apparently, it was time for my Female Warrior and Female Healer to come together to support one another. I began the process of melding these two archetypes and, in so doing, my Female Healer is beginning to feel more empowered, and my Female Warrior is more able to use her power with compassion. When I learned some years ago that the internal archetypes needed to be healed, I didn’t have an understanding that they would eventually merge and share their gifts with one another. I thought of it more as a singular phenomenon with each archetype healing individually. My Soul has likened this Alchemical process to “boiling an onion”- the onion becomes softer and more malleable when cooked.

I feel a sense of relief knowing that the separation in the experiment is moving toward coming to a close in yet another level of my being. My inner Female Healer feels more supported, at last. As in the current incarnation from which I communicate with you now I am here to embody the Sacred Teacher/Healer energies, this new development feels like a shift in the right direction as I begin to more fully know my Truth. This experience of Alchemy has opened up a whole new level of awareness regarding my ascension process. I am excited to continue healing and melding all of the archetypes within and to more fully understand how this latest development in my evolution will continue to transform me from the inside out. With the deepest of gratitude, I thank my gifted friend Peter, my Soul/Soul Council Members, and my Sacred Archetypes within.

Trees speak to me. They have taught me amazing Truths that have supported me on my journey, helped my Heart to heal, and have shown me there is a deeper, simpler way to live. I have had shamanic dreams about trees, too. One in particular was an amazing "Steven Speilberg" experience that I shall never forget. The Tree and the Wind paired up to take me on an amazing journey inside the Earth where I was taught about my gifts in working with nature spirits. I was transformed by that experience. As of late, I have been communing with Trees in some new ways, as I live right next to the woods and have easy access. One of my favorite things to do in the warmer seasons is to sing to the Trees, from my Heart, and to share Reiki with them while I do this. I send the healing energy to all of the Trees on our Beloved Blue Planet. For they do so much for us, I love to give back to them and allow them to feel my gratitude.

A couple of months ago, a big tree fell during the hurricane. Soon thereafter, the service men who work with trees came by and cut several down, right outside my home. I came home to my felled friends and knew some healing was needed. I knew there were more to come down the following day. I went ouside and spoke to the trees, explaining to them the human reasons why they were cut down and let them know there would be more to come. I apologized. I gave them Reiki. I set the intention to lovingly support them throughout the process. When the tree men came the next morning, I again attuned to the Trees, and sent Them and the service men Reiki throughout the process. The service men seemed kind in their work and I could feel that they respected Trees; they were educating one another about what they knew of Trees while they worked. When almost finished, the men unexpectedly broke into song, all singing together one of my favorite songs by the Beatles, "Michelle, Ma Belle". They sounded great. The Trees and I survived the process much more peacfeully than I had imagined. I now have a budding little pine Tree in my home, which is nurturing to me beyond words. As I was shopping in the mall after Christmas, I saw a table with several little pine Trees that had been used for display. A sign in front said, "Free to a good home." I was guided to choose one and bring it with me. I brought it home and potted it. I asked the Tree if it would like to be called by a name, and it told me it preferred to be called, "Knight". So Knight is is. I also lovingly call him "The Little Tree" in my own mind. Knight and I have had some lovely conversations. He has been teaching me about the "Middle Way", as he calls it. The Middle Way involves holding the emotions and thoughts in a state of balance, not swinging too far in one direction or another, but holding the space of centered objectivity. He is an astute Little Tree!The other morning Knight and I connected and he and the Soul of Trees shared with me some more wisdom, which We shall share with you now. The Soul of Trees told me, "The Little Tree (and all Trees) need only Light and water to survive. They haven't forgotten their Divine Way of sustenance." My Little Tree then interjected, "Be open to receive the Light." The Soul of Trees continued, "Trees receive it fully, no blocks. This is their Source and they thrive completely from it. They are in oneness with each other; friends for the long-term, into eternity. There is no separation. They honor/own who They are. They don't doubt Themselves as Divine, created by God. Their energetic height reaches far into the cosmos as antenna receiving information, communicating at that level far and beyond the physical, yet enjoying Their physical expression on Earth for they love Her dearly, and love being part of the "plan" for humanity and the planet. Though they realize the majority of humans have forgotten that Trees are their brothers and sisters on this journey, there are those who remember and They are nourished by this connection. Ahhhh, this feels good in our hearts- to be known, acknowledged, recognized as alive beings with consciousness. But we don't need this as We are always certain of our primary Truth, on Our own, in Our collective consciousness. We love the stars, sun, and moon, and feel We are kindred spirits, members of the same family. All joyful, all beautiful, and glistening with the Love and Light of the God/Goddess/Creator of the Cosmos who sustains us. Ahhhh, We breathe this in and are nourished on every level of Our Being. We are complete." Thank you, Trees. Now I feel "Ahhhh" in my Heart and I feel complete.

As you go within to find the “heart” of any matter, always explore what lies in the middle of your chest. It’s your Heart, and your Soul. Many of us have forgotten about this aspect of ourselves. The Heart awaits in dormancy until its call is heard, until its stirrings are felt and brought to life through conscious attention. Conscious attention is the avenue by which the soul enlivens, by which the body ideal encompasses the aspect of life that gives birth to new experiences, bliss and creation, as you walk on your path each day.

Now why do we forget that our Heart and Soul are the most alive parts of our being, truly? How could we become unaware of such power and glory, such life-force, such remembering of the Truth within? We chose to. We chose to and we have forgotten that we chose to. Why, do you say? Because that was the plan. The Master Plan to become Angels on Earth who forget they are Angels. A temporary amnesia, if you will. A several thousand-year amnesia that spawned the creation of what mankind has considered life on this planet, in this orbit.

What is Life? Life is the Universal Life-force that flows through each and every one of us, all things alive, until it doesn’t. Only it doesn’t stop flowing, it just transforms into something else, another way of Be-ing. A new experiment in creation and flow.

So what are we doing with this experiment now, here on Earth? We are remembering who we are, at the core level of our Be-ing. The core level is the Truth, the holiness inside of us that begs to be heard, acknowledged, breathed life into in the form of the human expression. You have forgotten who you are and have forgotten that you forgot. Quite the mystery, is it not?

So here we are trying to unravel the mystery. We can look hither and yon, here and there, and still not find what we are looking for. Why is that, you might ask? Because the outer is the illusion and does not contain anything real or substantive over the course of time. The Being-ness of who you are on the inner, your Godself, has not changed through time. Imagine that! Something has remained in its pristine form, its original design- the original “You.”

Who are You? You are God. The Infinite One. The Bliss of the ocean, the air, the trees, the holes in the ground that hold little animals as they sleep. Where are you in all of this grandness? You are right here. Right inside your Being-looking through your eyes reading this, feeling a recognition that generates a wonderful comforting sense of inner knowing that all is well, all is right.

So how do we connect with this inner comfort more often? By going within and sorting out what is there. For, you see, over eons of time, as you have inhabited various forms and bodies, you have accumulated layers of accretion that need to be cleared. The pieces of these layers can feel like the truth because you may feel them strongly, fervently even. But the strength of feeling in itself is not a marker of Divinity. Rather, the truth comes in clear yet soft feelings of knowing that speak quietly to your Being.

How do we hear the truth more clearly? By being silent. By acknowledging emotions that are present and honoring and loving them, feeling them, and allowing them to pass. Then, underneath what was once there, you will find the gentle truth that moves you to the next level of understanding. As the layers are unraveled, the levels of understanding become more poignant, more surreal even as what you once thought was the truth now seems to be the opposite. And life keeps changing as you keep evolving, and enlivening the Heart within, the Sacred Truth of your Be-ing. Your Heart. Your Soul.